reduce the use of plastic bags Archives - One Earth - One Ocean e. V.

Economic instruments and marine litter control

guenther — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:37:06 +0000

Frans Oosterhuis, Elissaios Papyrakis, Benjamin Boteler, Economic
instruments and marine litter control, Ocean & Coastal Management,
Volume 102, Part A, December 2014, Pages 47-54, ISSN 0964-5691,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.08.005.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096456911400249X)
Abstract: This paper provides a comprehensive up-to-date review of the
literature on the economic instruments that can reduce marine litter. We
assess their cost of implementation, level of effectiveness as well as
indirect environmental and socio-economic effects (externalities) that
may arise as a result of their implementation. The evidence points to an
overall beneficial impact of environmental taxes on items such as
plastic bags in terms of reduced use, as well as a corresponding low
cost of implementation. In the same vein, deposit-refund schemes can
achieve high return rates for bottles although at a relatively high cost
(especially when the scheme targets a wide range of packaging types). In
the case of municipal waste collection, a ?pay-as-you-throw? charge can
be applied to incentivise waste reduction. In coastal areas, waste
collection and treatment can be further supported by the collection of
tourist taxes, although there is a high risk that these funds might be
used for other purposes. In the fishing industry, rewards for fishing
vessels that return waste to shore has been shown to both reduce marine
litter as well as complement fishermen's income. Since the vast majority
of marine litter comes from land-based sources and consists of plastic,
economic instruments that target relevant sources of land-based litter
more broadly stand to make the greatest contribution to marine litter
reduction. The choice of an appropriate intervention is case specific,
largely depending on the tackled source of pollution, the country's
institutional characteristics and infrastructure, consumer preferences
and habitual behaviour, and the economy's overall sectoral composition.

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WRAP publishes new carrier bag use figures

guenther — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 20:10:58 +0000

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-publishes-new-carrier-bag-use-figures-0

WRAP publishes new carrier bag use figures

15th July 2014

Data published today by WRAP shows that 8.3 billion thin-gauge*
(single-use) bags were used in 2013 by customers of UK supermarkets**.

This represents an increase of 3.2% compared with 2012 (8.1 billion),
and a decrease of 32% compared with 2006 (12.2 billion), when reporting
began.

The number of thin-gauge (single-use) bags used per month by supermarket
customers increased from 10.6*** in 2012 to 10.8 in 2013. This
represents a decrease on the 16.7 bags per customer in the baseline year
of 2006.

The overall number of bags (which include re-usable bags) issued by
supermarkets in 2013 totaled 8.8 billion. This compares to 8.5 billion
bags in 2012 and 12.4 billion bags in 2006.

These figures represent an increase of 3.2% between 2012 and 2013, and a
reduction of 29% since the baseline year of 2006.

In 2013, total carrier bags (which include re-usable bags) weighed
67,300 tonnes, compared with 70,400 tonnes in 2012, which represents a
4.4% decrease. Overall there has been a 39% decrease in the weight of
carrier bags from the baseline year of 2006.

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-publishes-new-carrier-bag-use-figures

http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Carrier%20Bag%20results%202013.pdf

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Joint Statement on the European Parliament’s draft report on plastic carrier bags

guenther — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 20:53:16 +0000

http://www.seas-at-risk.org/news_n2.php?page=658

Joint Statement on the European Parliament?s draft report on plastic
carrier bags

Brussels, March 10th 2014 - Seas at Risk is joining with a number of
other organisations to issue a joint statement to alert MEPs on the
Environment Committee to specific issues they have identified with the
Draft ENVI Report and ongoing negotiations within the ENVI committee.

The above organisations insist on the importance of waste prevention to
reduce marine litter in line with the Rio+20 §163 declaration, the Waste
Hierarchy as outlined in the Waste Framework Directive and the Marine
Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) objectives. An ambitious 80%
reduction target to be achieved at least within two years after the
entry into force of the Directive leading to an eventual ban by 2020 at
least, applicable to all single-use carrier bags with no exemptions is
essential to ensure an effective reduction in the use of single use
carrier bags.

http://www.seas-at-risk.org/pdfs/Joint%20Statement%20of%2021%20environmental%20%20consumer%20organisations%20on%20Plastic%20bags_100314.pdf

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Urgent Call to Action! Help a Bill to Ban Plastic Bags in Florida!

guenther — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 20:49:33 +0000

http://conserveturtles.org/turtleblog/blog/2014/04/09/urgent-call-to-action-help-a-bill-to-ban-plastic-bags-in-florida/

Urgent Call to Action! Help a Bill to Ban Plastic Bags in Florida!
Posted on April 9, 2014 by STC

URGENT CALL TO ACTION! WE NEED YOU TO HELP FLORIDA BAN PLASTIC BAGS!
Tomorrow morning, Thursday April 10, the FL Senate Environmental
Preservation and Conservation Committee will consider a bill that could
help ban the use of many plastic bags in Florida. The bill, SB 0830
?Carryout Bags? by Sen. Dwight Bullard from South Florida will allow
local governments to adopt ordinances that prohibit stores from handing
out free plastic carryout bags and that require a 10 cent charge for
each recyclable paper bag. Customers are free to supply their own bags.

Currently Florida law prohibits local governments from enacting bans on
plastic bags. This bill would overturn the existing law and establish
uniform statewide standards for cities and counties that want to
implement plastic bag rules. It simply allows citizens and their local
governments the authority to ban plastic bags if they so choose.

The bill provides that the bag ordinance can only apply to large stores
meeting at least $2 million in gross annual sales, or that have at least
10,000 square feet of floor space. (Mom and pop stores are exempt.)

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2014/0830

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Banning plastic bags is essential

guenther — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:09:03 +0000

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/content/20140209-kate-weymouth-banning-plastic-bags-is-essential.ece

Kate Weymouth: Banning plastic bags is essential
February 09, 2014 05:33 PM

It was interesting to read Elaine Gambardella’s earnest but misinformed
response (“Punishing the public,” letter, Feb. 4) to Rep. Maria
Cimini’s
introduction of a state-wide plastic bag ban.

While I applaud her “faithful” recycling efforts, the fact is that, on
average, only 11 percent of a year’s worth of produced plastic bags is
recycled, and half of those are sent to China where they are recycled in
highly toxic processes.

Also important to note, that while her creative phrase “reuse, recycle,
and restore” conveniently supports her opinion, it is misquoted. The
three R’s of waste management and minimization (and the motto for those
of us who do place the future health of our planet as a “first”) are
actually “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Rep. Maria Cimini’s bill addresses
the first, and what is universally accepted as the most effective piece
of the waste management hierarchy.

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Time to bag the bags

guenther — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:07:24 +0000

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/20140206-melissa-curran-time-to-bag-the-bags.ece

Melissa Curran: Time to bag the bags
February 06, 2014 06:13 PM

It is tragic that marine wildlife in Rhode Island and elsewhere is
threatened by the ingestion of plastic bags. These lightweight and
easily windblown products are seldom recycled and often disposed of
improperly -- and can even get into the environment by just blowing out
of trash bins and landfills.

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County of Hawaii: Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance

guenther — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 15:50:35 +0000

http://www.hawaiizerowaste.org/reuse/plastic-bag-reduction-ordinance

County of Hawai‘i Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance

Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance - red reusable shopping bagThe purpose
of the ordinance is to reduce or eliminate single use plastic carryout
bags.
The law became effective January 17, 2013.

http://youtu.be/mMQ83_HZsUE
http://youtu.be/LoOHPSsOzv8
http://youtu.be/kGqlFUc5AcA

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Commission proposes to reduce the use of plastic bags

guenther — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 11:38:49 +0000

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1017_en.htm

Brussels, 4 November 2013

Environment: Commission proposes to reduce the use of plastic bags

Today the European Commission adopted a proposal that requires Member 
States to reduce their use of lightweight plastic carrier bags. Member 
States can choose the measures they find most appropriate, including 
charges, national reduction targets or a ban under certain conditions. 
Lightweight plastic bags are often used only once, but can persist in 
the environment for hundreds of years, often as harmful microscopic 
particles that are known to be dangerous to marine life in particular.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "We're taking action to 
solve a very serious and highly visible environmental problem. Every 
year, more than 8 billion plastic bags end up as litter in Europe, 
causing enormous environmental damage. Some Member States have already 
achieved great results in terms of reducing their use of plastic bags. 
If others followed suit we could reduce today's overall consumption in 
the European Union by as much as 80%."

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